Hide and Seek

https://www.churchofthehighlands.com/media/message/hide-and-seek

John 4:23 (NLT)

23 But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.

If you can't find God, worship Him, and He'll find you. 

The people were in despair with no place to turn. 

2 Chronicles 20:14-15  (NLT)

14 the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men standing there. His name was Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite who was a descendant of Asaph (worship leaders).

15 He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

The man who worshiped had faith.  The other's did not.   

2 Chronicles 20:20-22 (NLT)

20 Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.”

21 After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang:

“Give thanks to the Lord;
    his faithful love endures forever!”

22 At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves.

When the people worshiped, they defeated their enemies.    

David lost everything and wept in pain.  

1 Samuel 30:1-4  (NLT)

30 Three days later, when David and his men arrived home at their town of Ziklag, they found that the Amalekites had made a raid into the Negev and Ziklag; they had crushed Ziklag and burned it to the ground. 

2 They had carried off the women and children and everyone else but without killing anyone.

3 When David and his men saw the ruins and realized what had happened to their families, 

4 they wept until they could weep no more.

David changed his weeping into praise that made all the difference.  He recovered everything.  

1 Samuel 30:6-7 

6 David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the Lord his God.

7 Then he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring me the ephod (the garment of worship)!” So Abiathar brought it.

Paul had an encounter with God in the depths of a prison.  

Acts 16:22-26  (NLT)

22 A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. 

23 They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. 

24 So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.

25 Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. 

26 Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!

Jeremiah 29:13  (NLT)

13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me (God).

Mark 12:28-30  (NLT)

28 One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

29 Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 

30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’

Heart and Soul: We show our love to God by expressing our affection on Him in worship. 

Mind:  I worship God by focusing my attention to God.  

Strength:  I worship God by using my abilities to serve God.

God's Presence in my pain

https://www.churchofthehighlands.com/media/message/no-pain-no-gain

God moves powerfully in our pain.  Our response to our pain defines us. 

Psalm 34:18 (NLT)

¹⁸ The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
    he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

In pain, we see the bigness of God.  When something is happening to me, God wants to do something in me.  If  you are having pain, God is getting close.

  

Isaiah 6:5 (NLT)

5 Then I (Isaiah) said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”

When you see how big God is, you see how small you are.  When we see God clearly, we see ourselves clearly.  Condemnation just shames us for what we've done.  Conviction shows us how we can change.

  

Isaiah 6:6-8  (NLT)

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”

8 Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?”

I said, “Here I am. Send me.”

When we see ourselves clearly, we'll see our future clearly.  What we are going through redefines our purpose.   Life is not about pleasure but meaning.  Meaning is what gives us pleasure.  We must work on something that matters.  We must find meaning beyond our suffering. 

Genesis 50:20 (NLT) 

20 You (my brothers) intended to harm me (by selling me, Joseph, as a slave), but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people (God promoted Joseph from being a slave to prevent the starvation of Joseph's family in Egypt).   

Romans 8:28 (NLT)

28 And we know that God causes everything to work together[a] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

My pain is either a jail that prisons me, or a school that empowers me. 

1. Stop running from God, but run to God. 

God never said that bad things would never happen to us, but that He would deliver us from it.  

Isaiah 55:6  (NLT)

⁶ Seek the Lord while you can find him.
    Call on him now while he is near.

Jeremiah 29:13  (NLT)

¹³ If you look for me (God) wholeheartedly, you will find me.

2. Take steps to grow. 

1 Peter 2:2-3 (NLT)

2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.

3. Allow God to use what we've been through to help others.  

Some of us won't step forward because of what we went through.  What you have been through does not disqualify you, but qualifies you.  

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NLT)

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

Make Room for Others!

Mark 2:1-2 New Living Translation (NLT)

2 When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. 2 Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them,

Where Jesus is.  There are crowds.   We wanted heaven to be crowded.  A crowd is good where Jesus is the focus.  There is something magnetic about the presence of Jesus.  

  

Mark 2:3 New Living Translation (NLT)

3 four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat.

What was life like for that paralyzed man?  He had to depend on someone else for everything.  He was a prisoner to that mat.  He longed for a different life.  He had nothing, but he does have some friends.  

Mark 2:4 New Living Translation (NLT)

4 They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus.

1. His friends were committed.   

They made room by going through the roof.  Everybody has a mat.  It's the things that we struggle with.  Our fears.  Our doubts.  Our regrets.  It's what we're not proud off and attempt to hide.  

What separated this man from everyone is what brought his friends together.   We all need friends who are not afraid of your mat.  Some days you'll be on the mat.  Some days you'll be carrying someone else's mat. 

There are 4 types of people.   Those who add, and subtract, multiply, and divide.  Hang out with those who add and multiply.  Flee from those who subtract and divide.     

Their faith was so great in Jesus, and their love was so great for their friend.  They had to do something.  They had to step out in faith.  

If you want to have something different, you have to do something that you've never done.  We must take a few risk, and do something that might make us uncomfortable.

  

Religion will keep you outside the house, but Jesus is in the house.  They thought that we must get our friend to Jesus.  

What about the home owner?  Someone was digging through his roof!  

  

These guys were cutting in line!   They just had to get at the feet of Jesus.  If you do, you'll get exactly what you're looking for. 

If you want a friend like that.  Be a friend like that.  Be a friend you'd like to have.  We must go to the mat for Jesus.   

Mark 2:5 New Living Translation (NLT)

5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”

Who's faith did Jesus see?  You have no idea what your faith can do for a friend.  He took no notice of a broken body, but hisa broken soul.

Mark 2:6-12 New Living Translation (NLT)

6 But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, 7 “What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”

8 Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? 9 Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’? 10 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man[a] has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, 11 “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”

12 And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, “We’ve never seen anything like this before!”

Why did Jesus say take your mat and go home?  That mat was his prison.  The mat owned him.  Now he owned that mat.  It was a reminder of what Jesus saved him from.  

Don't forget where you can from.  Go back, and set someone else free. It was his testimony.   Tell others how you got free.  When we make room for God and space for others, we will see miracles.